ACTA kicks off Summit in Toronto, urges Air Canada & union to find a resolution ASAP

The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and Travel Advisors (ACTA’s) 2024 Summit series kicked off in Toronto on Thursday (Sept. 12) by addressing the elephant in the room – the potential pilots’ strike at Air Canada.

Addressing a ballroom full of some 500 travel advisors at the Toronto Congress Centre, ACTA President Wendy Paradis acknowledged the “potential disruption in front of us.”

“We are urging Air Canada, the [Air Line Pilots Association] union and federal government to work hard together and come to a resolution,” Paradis said. “Our message is to negotiate and come to a resolution as soon as possible.”

The call to action comes as leaders from travel and tourism, including the heads of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Business Council of Canada, the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses, Conseil du patronat du Québec, and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, hold a press conference today to urge Ottawa to intervene and prevent a potential disruption at Canada’s largest airline.

READ MORE: Navigating Air Canada’s potential strike has been “a complete nightmare,” says travel advisor

Unless an agreement is reached with the ALPA, Air Canada’s 5,200 pilots will be in legal strike position on Sept. 18. But the impacts will be felt sooner if negotiations continue to stall.

Earlier this week, Air Canada released contingency plans to suspend its flights, saying that a 72-hour strike or lockout notice could be issued as early as Sunday, Sept. 15.

At that point, the airline would begin a three-day wind down plan of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge. During this process, flights would be cancelled over three days, with a complete shutdown as early as 00:01 EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

Some disruptions, however, could start as early as tomorrow (September 13), including the cancellation of some holiday packages and the grounding of some aircraft, Air Canada said.

“As advocates, we will continue to push all three parties for a resolution,” Paradis told Summit attendees, reminding the trade to check ACTA’s Travel Advisor Portal for the latest updates.

Paradis pointed out that the possible turbulence at Air Canada is “just the beginning” of several post-COVID labour disruptions that could take place around the world over the next few years.

“It’s important that we are prepared and proactive so if these things happen, we can really take care of our travellers as much as possible,” she said.

Today’s “normal normal”

Airline strikes, you could say, are all part of today’s “normal normal,” a term that ACTA is using to describe the state of the travel industry in 2024.

“Overall, the future is definitely bright,” Paradis told the audience. “If you look at the numbers from the World Travel & Tourism Council, [the industry] is robust for demand and revenue. We’re poised for growth over the next ten years.”

Coming out of a strong 2023, when bookings were slightly below 2019 levels (but generated strong revenue because prices were higher), this year, and next, travel advisors have to “hustle for business and be nimble,” Paradis said.

The economic landscape has something to do with this. “Consumer confidence is good, but a little shaky because of the world we live in,” Paradis explained, citing various sources, from banks to research from the Conference Board of Canada.

Some of the factors impacting travel right now include the U.S. economy. (“If the U.S. goes into a recession, there are impacts in Canada,” Paradis noted), fluctuations in the Canadian dollar, geopolitical factors, fuel costs, health and safety (the lingering effects of COVID and monkey pox) and capacity disruptions.

“We have to be more proactive to get more business,” Paradis said.

ACTA advocacy updates

ACTA advocates on behalf of its members with governments, regulatory agencies, and travel suppliers.

Paradis shared some of the association’s current priories, which includes working with the Competition Bureau’s study on airline competition in Canada, NDC implementation (and the impacts it has on travel agencies and travel advisors), and travel supplier best practices.

“We’re working with suppliers to ensure timely commission payments, that commission is paid on cancelled booking, and the reduction of non-commissionable fees,” Paradis said.

Travel fraud education and prevention is another focus at ACTA. So is Canada Revenue Agency’s audits of independent travel advisors (ITAs).

Paradis said ACTA won’t involve itself with individual ITA challenges with the CRA.

However: “We are watching to see if ACTA needs to step in,” she said. “We read every single email about this, and document them to ensure ITAs are not being treated unfairly.”

ACTA is also focused on growing the travel advisor community, investing in training and education for new-to-industry professionals, as well as promoting the profession in schools.

One “significant shift” Paradis has noticed in travel agencies, since 2019, is that agencies are working with sole proprietors (advisors who work on 100 per cent commission) instead of hiring employees.

In addition, agencies with employees are seeing ongoing mergers and acquisitions, she said.  

Travel insiders & experts

ACTA’s 2024 Eastern Canada Travel Industry Summit is one of three events happening this month. Upcoming Summits will be held in Richmond, B.C. (Sept. 19) and in Montreal (Sept. 25).

Thursday’s Toronto edition is jam-packed with panel discussions, interviews with industry leaders and influencers and networking opportunities with executives from across the globe.

The morning welcomed Kerianne Wilson, Air Canada’s director of customer accessibility, to the stage. She delved into the importance and enhancement of accessibility in air travel, providing insights into the current landscape of accessible travel.

Also on stage is a panel discussion about “strategies for thriving travel advisors” featuring insights from Judith Coates (Wired for Travel, The Travel Agent Next Door), Naomi Rogers CTC (Caledon Travel, Trevello); Joanne Patterson CTC (Direct Travel); and Lynda Tomilin CTC (Envoyage).

Later in the day, a sprawling trade show, featuring more than 100 suppliers, will unfold. Here, attendees will have opportunities to win prizes, from travel vouchers and luxury getaways to exclusive experiences and top-tier products.

Attendees will also participate in breakout sessions about the emerging luxury market, the future of cruise travel, integrating artificial intelligence into business, and ways to generate sales through social media.

David Tanguay, head of global sales for Aurora Expeditions, will later deliver a keynote about the rise of expedition travel and ways that travel advisors can tap into this fast-growing, highly-profitable market.

The day will wrap up with ACTA’s awards, which honour achievements and contributions in the Canadian travel industry, and a cocktail party.

Stay tuned for more of PAX’s in-depth coverage from ACTA’s Travel Industry Summit in Toronto, including ACTA’s recap of the trends that are shaping travel today. 

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